While stirring, such words always seem to wear thin as the hands of the clock sink deeper and deeper into the wee hours of a new morning. By four A.M. the small detachment of militiamen standing watch at the side entrance to the capitol building had withered away to just two. The remainder of the detachment assigned to guard this portion of the capitol building were just inside the double glass doors, scattered about and curled up on the floor along the wall or slumped down on chairs asleep. With so much to do in the next few days, their leader reasoned that the Attorney General had precious little time to spend creeping about in the shadows in the hope of catching a guard dozing off.

When the National Guard Humvee pulled up to the side entrance not a single soul inside stirred. Its appearance was barely enough to rouse the two militiamen who were on duty. One of these sentinels was seated on the concrete steps off to one side with his rifle resting across his knees and his back against a column. The other was leaning against the building itself. The pair exchanged glances to see which of them would check the ID of the Guardsmen approaching them. “You go,” the militiaman sitting on the step grunted to his blurry-eyed companion. “You’re already on your feet.”

Though there was logic in those words, the man who had been leaning up against the building still gave his friend a snarl as he straightened up. Without bothering to unsling the automatic rifle that dangled from his shoulder, the militiaman sauntered over to the center of the landing to wait for the Guardsmen to come to him.

Stopping one step below the waiting sentinel, Nancy Kozak flashed the most demure smile she could muster. Nathan Dixon continued to move on past the Guard officer and sentinel. Caught off guard by this, the militiaman in front of Nancy twisted about to keep an eye on Nathan. “Now hold on there,” the militiaman called out. “Where you goin’?”

At the door Nathan stopped and looked in. Turning, he gave Nancy a quick nod before starting over to where the second man was sitting.